Tommy Collison

So I was thinking of getting some structure to posts, and since I love music to the wacky extent that I’d rather go blind than deaf I was thinking of maybe showcasing a number of albums each week – on a Saturday, I’m thinking, because people are too busy doing real-world stuff to bother doing a fully proper post. Reading over that it almost sounds bitter, but on the contrary, I’d love to be able to do real life stuff! But no, I’m stuck in this computer, destined to write 250 word posts daily for the rest of my days…

So, right, yes, enough moping. Album reviews. If I was doing this normally, I’d run out of albums to show off after maybe 10 or 12 weeks. Yup. I had a meagre 252 song iTunes library, which was actually wonderful. Syncing iPhones and iPods is so much easier when you can just sync the entire library – when the storage device in question has more space than there are songs. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, and there’s a simple way of doing it that I’m missing because I’m dumb like that. Very little visual awareness at times.

Do I have to do a Freedom-of-Information act as to where I got these? That could be interesting… :)

Uhm, right, yes, music:

First album is Gossip in the Grain by Ray LaMontagne.

Got this after hearing Sarah, track #4 on the (no relation, I don’t think) 4th episode of House, season 6.

Gossip categorized itself as ‘Folk Rock’ in my iTunes but I don’t see much folk inside it. There’s some lovely mellow guitaring, accompanied by Ray’s dulcet crooning. He switched to what I think is a banjo in Hey Me, Hey Mama, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s banjos. Thumbs down from me on that count.

Is it just me, or does crooning have negative, Daniel O’Donnell/Eoin McLove connotations? I mean it not in this fashion, I assure you.

Best Songs: Sarah, Gossip in the Grain
Drummability: (Low, Medium or High): Low.

X & Y by Coldplay

FOI on this one – my mom and dad had friends over for dinner a few weeks back. One of them had an iPhone full of awesome music. I copied that music onto my laptop. Win.

I’ve always liked Coldplay – I got Clocks from John a good few years back, and it remains one of my favourite songs ever. I have expressed on numerous occasions that I would like nothing better than to kidnap Coldplay’s drummer and refuse to let go of his legs until he taught he the intricate sweeping melodies of the drums of his songs. As pointed out, we’d be there a good while. Actually, come to think about it, there are several bands I want to do the whole kidnapping to. Arctic Monkeys, Blink 182 and Offspring, you’re next.

See, now some band’s drummer is gonna go missing and very slowly, everyone’s head is gonna swivel round to me. Wasn’t me folks! You’ve to wait until the 10 posts in a row just containing YouTube videos to my new found drumming ninja-ness; that’s confirmation that Travis Barker’s been chained in my basement for 10 months.

Back to X & Y, it’s great. Some people accuse Coldplay of having one sound, but this usually gives me a chance to snort derisively (don’t get to do that often enough.. :P) when they quote Green Day or U2 as being ‘better bands’. Feck off and jump in a lake. While I’m on U2, how can *anyone* attempt to claim they’re the best band ever? Madness, Ted.

Best songs: Speed of Sound and Square One
Drummability: High. One of the most drummable albums in my library.